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Priest or Warlock: Which Should You Play in WoW Forever?
Pick the Warlock if you want easy, low-downtime leveling, strong solo play and good gold farming. Pick the Priest if you want to heal, or play Shadow with the option to heal later.
Priest vs Warlock verdict
2 Priest 3 Warlock 1 even
For most players the Priest has the edge in groups. It is always wanted as a healer in dungeons and raids, and Shadow still gives you a damage spec to level and play PvP with.
The Warlock wins leveling, solo play and gold. Your demon tanks, drains keep you healthy and you rarely stop to rest. In PvP the two are even.
Priest vs Warlock: head-to-head comparison
| Category | Priest | Warlock |
|---|---|---|
| Leveling speed | Shadow kills fast and barely drinks; wand early, Mind Flay after. | Winner Drain-tanks with almost no downtime; the Voidwalker tanks while dots work. |
| Solo play | Fragile alone; cloth and mana punish careless pulls. | Winner Strong solo; demon tanks, drains heal, fear resets bad pulls. |
| Dungeons | Winner The healer every group leans on; instant invites as Holy or Discipline. | Strong dots and Bane of Havoc splash, but one DPS among many. |
| Raiding | Winner Premier raid healer; Prayer of Mending and Binding Heal are new tools for it. | Shadowburn and Conflagrate burst, but Destruction drinks more. |
| PvP | Even Shadow is dangerous in PvP; Devouring Contagion spreads the plague on kills. | Even Fear and drain-tank make the warlock excellent in 1v1. |
| Gold farming | Healers farm slowly; Shadow grinds but never matches warlock stamina. | Winner Endless grinding with no downtime, plus a free mount that saves real gold. |
Playing Priest in this matchup
Priests level as Shadow with damage over time spells, Mind Blast and Mind Flay, and Power Word: Shield. A wand finishes mobs to save mana.
At 60 you can heal as Holy or Discipline with Penance, Divine Aegis, Prayer of Mending and Holy Binding, or stay Shadow for damage and PvP.
Where the Priest falls short
Leveling is slower than a Warlock, and you have no pet to take hits for you.
Playing Warlock in this matchup
Warlocks level as Affliction with damage over time spells, a Voidwalker to tank and Drain Life with Life Tap to avoid resting.
At 60 Affliction gains Pandemic, Wrack and Soul Siphon, Destruction has Incinerate and Bane of Havoc, and Demonology keeps its Demonic Sacrifice buff with Demonic Pact.
Where the Warlock falls short
You can only deal damage, and you have more pets, curses and Soul Shards to manage.
How WoW Forever's talent changes shift this matchup
Priests changed little at launch: Binding Heal left the Holy tree but is still trainable, and Shadow Word: Death backlash rose to 30% of your health.
Warlocks had their bigger changes earlier in testing, including Pandemic, Wrack, Soul Siphon and Demonic Pact, and got the general damage increase at launch.
Which should you pick: Priest or Warlock?
- You want a leveler that becomes the most wanted role at cap.
- Shadow's melt-faces-barely-drinks leveling sounds perfect.
- Instant dungeon invites as a healer matter more than topping DPS.
- The Gnome priest is new in WoW Forever and you like the novelty.
- Devouring Contagion spreading your plague is your kind of evil.
- You want one character that can do two completely different jobs.
- You never want to cast a heal, on yourself or anyone else.
- The Affliction drain engine is the most satisfying rotation to you.
- Free mounts in a new economy beat every other travel perk.
- You want excellent in 1v1 with fear, dots and a demon for every mood.
- Demonic Pact ending the buff-versus-pet choice sold you on Demonology.
- Endless grinding with no downtime is your happy place.
Priest and Warlock race options
Priest has 6 race choices and Warlock has 5. Races marked new could not play the class in Classic Era. See the racials guide for what each race brings.
| Faction | Priest | Warlock |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, GnomeNew | Human, Gnome |
| Horde | Undead, Troll | Orc, Undead, TrollNew |
Plan your Priest or Warlock build
Plan your points before paying for a respec. Open the Priest talent calculator or the Warlock talent calculator, or try a starter build for your preferred role. The class picking guide compares all nine classes if you are still undecided.
Priest vs Warlock: common questions
Shadow priest or Affliction warlock: Which dot class wins?
The Warlock for solo damage over time. Shadow Priests deal similar damage but can switch to healing, which a Warlock cannot.
Can I level as a healer, or do I have to go Shadow?
You can level as a healer, but it is slow. Most Priests level as Shadow and heal dungeons on the way.
Which one gets groups faster while leveling?
The Priest, if it heals. Healers get invited much faster than damage dealers.
What is the Gnome priest about?
Gnome Priests are new in WoW Forever. Gnomes get Escape Artist, Eureka! and more mana from Expansive Mind.
Which races can play Priest and Warlock in WoW Forever?
Priest: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf and Gnome on the Alliance; Undead and Troll on the Horde. Warlock: Human and Gnome on the Alliance; Orc, Undead and Troll on the Horde.
What is the best leveling spec for Priest and Warlock in WoW Forever?
For leveling from 1 to 60, play Shadow Priest or Affliction Warlock. On our leveling tier list, Priest is A tier and Warlock is S tier. Each class leveling guide has a talent path from level 10 to 60.